Baseball: Japan, S. Korea batting champion Baek In Chun dies
SEOUL (Kyodo) -- Baek In Chun, who won batting titles in both Japan and South Korea's professional baseball leagues, died Saturday, local media report
Baek In Chun, a former professional baseball player who won batting titles in both Japan and South Korea, passed away on Saturday, local media reported. He was 82 years old, according to information from the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization's website. Baek holds the distinction of being the only player to have achieved a .400 batting average in a South Korean professional baseball season.
He was discovered in cardiac arrest at his residence on Friday and had been undergoing treatment for a brain hemorrhage since then, as reported by Yonhap News Agency, citing the Korea Baseball Organization.
The South Korean player made his transition to Japanese professional baseball in 1962 and clinched the Pacific League batting title in 1975 with a .319 average while playing for the Taiheiyo Club Lions, which is now known as the Seibu Lions. Baek continued to play in Japan until the 1981 season before returning to South Korea following the establishment of the country's professional league in the following year.
Baek made history as the inaugural manager and player with the MBC Chungyong, now the LG Twins, batting .412, a remarkable .400 season in South Korean professional baseball history. He subsequently managed several clubs and guided the LG Twins to a championship in the Korean Series in 1990.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
